“I have been in contact with Coach Shibest throughout visits and camps. It took me by surprise, because I thought I was just meeting with Coach Wiggins for the first time,” Rayonta Grier said about Virginia Tech offering him.

Grier told us that the Hokies were “one of his favorite schools” and currently standing out in his recruitment alongside South Carolina, North Carolina, and Louisville (who hasn’t offered). In addition, the Hokies were among the schools recruiting Grier the hardest alongside South Carolina and NC State due in large part to the efforts of James Shibest.

So why are the Hokies standing out for Grier?

“VT is a great school with a rich history with their football program, the hard work mentality, the fans and the coach are all on the same team to develop their players into great people. I spoke briefly with a couple of the guys that played there, and they let me know the program and academics are one of a kind. I haven’t gotten the chance to really tour the campus but from what I seen, it seems similar to my hometown,” Grier said.

One thing that may stand out is the fact that Grier already appears to have a strong relationship with VT assistant James Shibest. Part of that may be because Shibest reminds Grier of one of his high school coaches.

“Coach Shibest reminds me of Coach Shepherd here at my high school. Full of great advice with a lit match under your butt to keep you going. He’s a great coach, very vocal, and tells you exactly what he’s looking for you to do as a player,” Grier said.

Rayonta Grier has taken multiple visits to Virginia Tech so he already has a solid relationship with Shibest. Grier’s most recent visit came on April 7th for a spring team scrimmage for Virginia Tech..

“It was cool. I got to see the guys put in some good work,” Grier said about his most recent visit.

Looking ahead, Grier currently plans to visit Virginia Tech on June 9th for one of their camps while also planning to visit Clemson, Louisville, Tennessee, South Carolina, and NC State in the coming weeks and months.

The Hokies have had success recruiting North Carolina wide receivers under Justin Fuente highlighted by Tre Turner and Elijah Bowick. Unsurprisingly, the Hokies are looking to continue that recruiting success into future classes with Rayonta Grier being one of their top 2020 WR targets.

Rayonta Grier’s Offer List

ACC: Virginia Tech, North Carolina, NC State

SEC: South Carolina

Conference USA: Middle Tennessee, Charlotte

Photo Credit: @RayButton5 (Rayonta Grier)

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